Head of AI & Automation

Head of AI \& Automation is sought by a high growth e-commerce brand based near Leeds This rapidly scaling, multi-brand e-commerce group has achieved significant year-on-year growth and has ambitious plans to continue expanding across new markets. As such the business has laid solid automation \& AI foundations after an extensive discovery and value creation program of work but are now looking for a dedicated AI \& Automation leader to take complete ownership of the roadmap and accelerate their journey. This is not a traditional IT leadership role. This is a hands-on AI and automation position where you will work directly with the board to identify opportunities, build solutions and embed technology-driven ways of working across the entire organisation. The Role As Head of AI \& Automation you will own the AI roadmap, leading initiatives across automation, systems integration, data, workflow optimisation and emerging technology adoption. You will: * Define and deliver the company-wide AI and automation strategy, prioritising initiatives based on commercial value and ROI. * Design, build and implement practical AI solutions using LLMs such as OpenAI, Claude/Anthropic and other emerging technologies. * Identify opportunities to automate manual processes across sales, customer service, operations, finance and reporting. * Build connected workflows between SaaS platforms using APIs and automation tooling. * Improve business intelligence, reporting and data accessibility across the organisation. * Evaluate emerging AI technologies and make recommendations around tooling, vendors and internal capability. * Champion AI adoption across the business, helping teams understand how technology can improve their day-to-day roles. The Person We are looking for a commercially minded AI and automation specialist who loves solving business problems through technology. You will ideally have: * Proven experience delivering AI, automation or digital transformation initiatives that have created measurable business impact. * Hands-on experience building solutions using LLMs, APIs and automation platforms. * Experience working with tools such as OpenAI, Anthropic/Claude, Zapier, Make or similar. * Strong understanding of SaaS platforms, integrations and data flows. * Experience within e-commerce, retail, marketplace or another fast-growth digital environment. * Ability to translate business challenges into practical technology solutions. * Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at senior leadership level. * A builder mentality — someone who enjoys experimenting, shipping solutions and delivering outcomes. * Exposure to platforms such as Magento, Shopify, GA4, CRM, ERP, customer service platforms or marketplace technology would be advantageous. Why join? This is a rare opportunity to join an organisation where AI is not just a future concept — it is already becoming central to how the business operates. You will have: * Direct access to the board. * Full ownership of the AI and automation roadmap. * Freedom to experiment, build and deploy new solutions quickly. * The opportunity to influence how a growing organisation uses emerging technology to scale. This role offers a six figure package, hybrid/ flexible working with equity. Head of AI \& Automation Leeds